After the War: Harry and Ginny
by honey-and-peaches
Summary: What happens to Harry and Ginny after the war. Set directly after the end of the war, mainly Hinny with a bit of Romione thrown in every now and then :)
1. Chapter 1

**Set right after the defeat of Voldemort**

Ginny couldn't do it anymore; she felt as if her chest was about to cave in, she had to get away. Extracting herself carefully and quietly from her large, grieving family, she left the Great Hall. She walked up what was left of some stairs, and turned down a partially destroyed corridor. She slumped down the wall and cried and cried and cried.

Harry wandered the corridors, or what was left of them anyway, he still had to much adrenaline running through his veins to stay still.

Over. It was over. He couldn't wrap his mind around it. He was alive, Voldemort was dead, and it was over. Seven years of his life, seven years of defeating Voldemort, over.

His already adjusted to the semi-darkness he spotted a figure against the wall, her cries echoing throughout the corridor.

"Ginny?" He called uncertainly.

"Harry?!"

She stood up and ran towards him, and for a moment he thought she was going to hug him or kiss him, but instead Ginny shoved him, "What the hell?!" She yelled through tears, her eyes blazing fiercely.

"What?!" Harry asked, genuinely confused and more scared than he had been an hour ago, whilst fighting Voldemort.

"I thought you were dead!"

Harry had no idea how to reply, "I-I'm sorry?"

"Why would you do that?" Ginny asked him, still yelling angrily.

"Oh I don't know, Ginny?" Harry said sarcastically, his voice rising now too, "Maybe to save this whole god damn FREAKING WORLD!"

"I thought you were dead," Ginny whispered again.

"I thought I was really going to die,"

Ginny didn't say anything.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked after a moment, even if it was the most stupid question he could've possibly asked.

Ginny wrapped her arms around his neck and began to sob uncontrollably into his shoulder, "It hurts," she sobbed, "It hurts so much. It hurts everywhere."

"I know," Harry whispered, hugging her, "I'm so sorry about Fred."

"It's not your fault, I don't want you to ever think that any of this is your fault." Ginny said seriously, looking into Harry's eyes and holding his face in her hands. She stood up and kissed him delicately, as if they could both break at any moment.

"Ginny," Harry whispered, stepping back and taking her hands off his face.

"I'm sorry, I-I shouldn't have done that," Ginny said.

"No, you should've," Harry replied awkwardly.

Ginny sighed and rested her head on Harry's shoulder and together they slid down the wall, slumped on the ground and cried.

Harry took Ginny's hand and kissed it, and leant his head on her's.


	2. Chapter 2

Everyone was sitting around the table at the Burrow. No one really knew what to do or say. It wasn't silent, it was just empty.

Finally Mr Weasley stood up with a very tired sigh, "Would anyone like some tea?" He asked.

There was a murmur around the table, though it was impossible to tell what anyone was saying, but Mr Weasley took it as yes and put the kettle on. There was suddenly the sound of a chair scrapping against the stone floor and George disappeared up the stairs; Mrs Weasley put her hands in her head and began to cry.

"Molly," Mr Weasley said, quietly, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"I'll go," Ginny said, pushing her own chair back.

She followed George up the stairs and pushed open the door to his (and Fred's) room, "George?"

George was curled up on the bottom bunk, Fred's bed, his knees to his chest and his face to the wall.

"Georgie?" Ginny whispered, sitting down on the edge of the bed and placing a hand on her brother's trembling shoulder.

George stopped trembling, sat up and wrapped his arms around Ginny and cried.

It broke Ginny's heart to see her older brother, the joker in dark times, like this, and it physically pained her to know that the one person who could cheer George up was gone forever.

Gradually everyone went to bed; Hermione into Ginny's room and Harry into Ron's, and eventually George into Percy's. The Burrow felt empty over the next few days, despite the many people coming and going. Mrs Weasley either locked herself up for the day with George or was so busy organising the funeral and looking after everyone else that she didn't sit down all day. Harry, Ron and Hermione spent most of their time in Ron's room, sometimes along with Ginny and once or twice with George too.

It was the fourth day after the war, and for the first time since the night of the war Harry and Ginny were alone, Hermione had just left the room and Ron had been down stairs for almost half an hour now.

It was Ginny who spoke first, breaking the suddenly awkward silence, "What happened?"

Harry looked up at her, unsure of what she was asking.

"This whole year, where were you, what happened to you guys?"

"Hermione hasn't told you?"

"She said I should ask you."

"I-I really don't want to talk about it Ginny, not, not yet. Not now," Harry told her, quietly but firmly.

Ginny nodded, "Okay."

Harry smiled sadly at her.

"Are you okay?" Ginny asked him, a stupid question of course, none of them were okay, but she felt that in all of the chaos no one had asked Harry how he felt.

Harry paused for a moment, a sarcastic answer ready to slip off his tongue as always, "I'll be okay," he said finally.

Ginny got up off Ron's bed and sat down next to Harry's on his.

She took his hand and kissed it, and he rested his head on her shoulder.

"Gin?" Harry whispered, slowly caressing her hand with his thumb

"Yeah?"

"Maybe after the funerals we should talk about us,"

"Us?" Ginny questioned.

"Yeah, us," Harry murmured.

"Okay," Ginny whispered, then she sighed and rested her head on Harry's; her heart beating fast as she wondered what Harry was going to say after the funerals.


	3. Chapter 3

Harry woke up suddenly, his heart thudding in his chest and sweat glistening on his forehead. The nightmares hadn't stopped these past four nights, and Harry highly doubted that they would stop over the next four years.  
Everything that he had seen over the past year; the past seven years, were burnt into a constantly changing nightmare.  
He tried to slow his breathing, and shut his eyes.  
Hermione's tortured screams, Voldemort's red eyes, Sirius, Dumbledore, Dobby, Fred, Remus, Tonks.  
Harry opened eyes and sat up, his heart beat quickening again. He attempted to slow his breathing, as he illuminated the lamp on his bedside table.  
There's nothing you can do, it's all over, he told himself over and over again.  
There's nothing you can—  
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted as the door creaked open.  
It was Ginny.  
Harry's heart leapt at the sight of her.  
"I saw the light," she said quietly, walking over to sit on Harry's bed, "I couldn't sleep either."  
"Nightmares?" Harry asked her softly.  
Ginny nodded, "You too?"  
"Yeah,"  
"Not like your You-Know-Who dreams?" She asked slightly louder, worried.  
Harry pointed to Ron, sleeping in the bed next to them and then put his finger over his mouth.  
"No, just normal ones. He's well and truly gone."  
Ginny nodded again, and the two fell silence.  
"Do you want me to tell you what happened this year? What we were doing?" Harry asked, after some silent moments. He was suddenly seized with the need to talk about it all, to tell her everything, and knowing that this feeling wouldn't come again for a very long time, he took the opportunity to have this crucial talk with her at 2 o'clock in the morning, while they were both half asleep and delirious.  
"If you're ready, yeah, I would really like that." Ginny was now sitting cross-legged, directly facing Harry. Harry pushed himself up a bit more, until he was sitting upright too.  
He began to tell her everything, and Ginny didn't stop listening for one moment.  
It was so easy to talk once he had started. He told her about Dumbledore and the memories, about his, Ron and Hermione's search for the horcruxes; when he reached the part where Ron left him and Hermione, Ginny scowled and turned to glare at her sleeping brother, "He left you?" She whispered incredulously.  
"He came back though," Harry replied quickly, "He saved my life."  
Harry went on to tell her about Godric's Hollow, the doe and the sword, going to Luna's.  
"You were so close," Ginny said quietly, interrupting Harry for the first time.  
"I know,"  
"I would've loved to see you," she said quietly.  
He knew she wasn't guilt tripping him for not visiting, he knew that she understood why he didn't and he couldn't have visited, he knew that. She was Ginny. She always understood. But he also knew that he would've loved to see her too, and he knew she would've understood that too.  
"Me too," he told her finally.  
Their eyes met, really met, and now his heart was beating fast for a whole different reason.  
So he continued his story, trying to ignore his need to press his lips against Ginny's. His need to hold her, to hug her, to feel her skin against his.  
Then he reached the end, and it felt like a weight had been lifted.  
It took a moment for Ginny to take it all in.  
"So Snape loved your mum?"  
"Yep."  
"You saw your parents, Sirius and Remus in the forest?"  
"Yep."  
"Snape was good?"  
"Yep."  
"But he was always such a prat to us,"  
"I know, but he saved my life, Ginny, he protected me for all these years. That's how much he loved my mum."  
"Talk about a confusing guy," Ginny muttered, and this time Harry laughed. He laughed for the first time in what felt like years.  
Then Ron gave a loud, very unattractive snore and rolled over, which shut Harry up. Harry and Ginny caught each other's eye and stifled their laughter.  
It happened in an instant, Ginny's eyes met his and suddenly they were kissing, and it felt so good.  
Ginny moved closer until she was in Harry's lap and their bodies were pressing together; Harry still sitting up against the bed.  
It was just the two of them; they had never kissed like this, so passionate, so much need in each kiss, as though they were making up for all the kisses they had missed over the past year. All of the pain, angst and new found awkwardness between them completely disappeared and everything that had happened didn't matter in that moment; it was just Harry and Ginny, here in this bed, complete bliss forever.  
It was interrupted all too soon, with the sound of the door opening and a sudden gasp.  
Harry and Ginny looked up just in time to see Hermione disappear and pull the door shut behind.  
"Shit," Ginny muttered, clambering off Harry, "I should probably go find her."  
Harry kissed her one last time, "Okay," he said, half reluctantly.  
Ginny walked quickly past her sleeping brother and out of the room, knowing if she didn't go quickly, she would go straight back to Harry.  
"Hermione?" Ginny whispered, as she opened the door to her room.  
Hermione was sitting on her bed, "Sorry! I didn't mean to, uh, interrupt the two of you," she said awkwardly, "I woke up and you weren't here, and I saw the light in Harry and Ron's room, and I just, I didn't think."  
Ginny sighed, sitting down on her own bed, "It's okay,"  
"Are you back together now?" Hermione asked after a moment.  
"I don't know," Ginny replied, resting her head in her hands, "he said we'd talk about it after the funerals."  
"When did he say that?"  
"Earlier today,"  
Hermione didn't say anything, as she studied Ginny; she had an awful feeling she knew what Harry wanted to talk about after the funeral, and she hoped, for both Ginny and Harry's sakes, that she was wrong.  
Ginny sighed again and flopped onto her back and pulled the duvet over her, and thought of Harry as she drifted back to sleep.

 _ **This chapter was a lot longer! Double the words of the last chapter! Most will be shorter, most likely 400-800 words, as I am also writing my Jily/Marauders fanfic too :)**_


End file.
